Do We Really Need Upgrades?
by The Brod Road
Summary: EXPERIMENTAL IDEA! Semi-crossover. Feedback appreciated. Most of Jump City's criminals rely on technology and machines to fight, but what happens when Jump City comes under a new threat: the machines themselves!


Author's Note: So far, this is merely an experiment fic to see if people like this idea! Not sure if it's going to be a full multi-chapter story or not, but I thought it was a decent idea and would like The People's opinion on this, so reviews are extremely appreciated here! I'd tell you what exactly the experiment is, but I'll explain it after the fic so that the surprise isn't ruined. I will say that it's a semi-crossover, though. I don't think it's crossover-y enough to be put in the Crossovers section, but whatever. Onward!

Disclaimer: I do not own anything I happen to use here.

Do We Really Need Upgrades?

Slade. Known to some as Deathstroke, the cold-hearted mercenary was restless. Who wouldn't be uncomfortable after selling your soul to a devil named Trigon and being thrown into a lake of lava? Even Slade himself wonders how he is still living. Perhaps a last favor from the hellbound demon? More likely, the last of his necromorphic enhancements was spent on preserving him.

But what did that matter to him? He was alive, the Titans were alive, and he needed payback. Rounding the corner in the dark corridor leading to his latest "industrial horror" style hideaway, he pondered his latest steal from STAR Labs. Some sort of microchip that, when placed in the main server that helped control his numerous robotic minions, should be able to anticipate and react to the Titans' fighting skills.

Punching in the code to unlock the entrance to his lair, he entered with a purposeful stride, expecting to finally resume his personal war against these so-called guardians with but one simple upgrade. So used was he to being in control and in charge, especially in his own inner sanctum, that he didn't expect the metal claws of three of his own minions to slash at him. The surprise didn't stop him evading all the attacks, obviously. It just allowed the attacks to miss him by inches, rather than feet.

"What the hell is going on? Stand down!" he commanded, only raising his voice slightly. Perhaps a system glitch in the network. No matter. Such things are bound to happen. After all, all tech is man-made and humans make mistakes. Except for Slade himself, of course. Though reality (and his win-loss record) would beg to differ…

All he needed to do was to get to the mainframe, nothing too daunting for the master assassin, even as more of his own creations gathered. He ducked, dodged, weaved, and leapt around their pre-programmed attacks, knowing his own work better than their circuits. Hopping from one large cog to another with his automatons following close behind, it was beginning to seem like cakewalk for him. That was, until the new machines came along…

Ambushed from seemingly out of nowhere, Slade was simultaneously hit with a kick to the faceplate, a tackle to his legs, and another kick to his gut. Strong hits too, for it wasn't often that Slade was knocked to the ground like that. He was sure that his left cheek would be bruised. Not a good sign, as his headgear was designed to withstand almost anything. Perhaps the keyword was 'almost' and not 'anything'…

Looking around with his one good eye, he spotted his assailants. Definitely mechanical and certainly not of his creation…

How could there be an intruder already? He had just gotten this base the way he liked it…

Gizmo was grumpy. Which was abysmally normal for his teammates, as they were constantly on the receiving end of his temper-tantrums. His attitude was unsurprising, considering that the Hive Five was shaken from the defection of Jinx to the Titans. While it was true that the team had gotten a new member to refrain from having to admit that they would be the "Hive Four", the particular defeat stuck with him.

Perhaps his grumbling, paying attention to his team's trouble with the Titans rather than his surroundings, was why it was so easy for the strange attackers to strike him by surprise. He had been a mere block from the Hive Five's current run-down locale, in an alley, using his spider-leg attachments to hurry home. Suddenly, his tiny body was grabbed from behind and thrown against the brick wall, back-first. His head, fortunately, was unaffected thanks to his mecha-backpack always protruding out from his back.

"Alright, who's the crud-muncher that did that?! You're gonna pay for that!" Gizmo demanded, loud and obnoxious as ever. What he saw was strange. A group of five….people…. Silver-ish bodysuits and gold-colored iron helmets that had a face that sorta looked like a pissed-off C-3PO from Star Wars, if that were possible. They twitched in jittery motions, almost as if they couldn't stay still. Almost… robotic?

"Uhh… Something tells me you snots aren't just snots… Did Lex Luthor send you or something?" he asked, aiming a pair of blasters at the group of 'not-humans'. They responded by scuttling closer to him, clearly threatening more harm. "Yo! What's the deal? If you wanna cause trouble, I'm on your side with that but why hurt me!?"

A voice from above answered. "We were told to, short-stuff!"

Sitting upon the fire escape was… "Aw, come on! That's not even funny!" Gizmo screamed. "This has to be another 'short' joke! Whoever sent you sent you because I'm a midget, right!? Lemme guess, all your other friends are taller, right!?"

"Yeah. They are. Especially King Dad! You won't like him, that's for sure! He'll straighten your gears out! Hehehehe" the impish little robot squawked in a high-pitched voice that seemed just as annoying as Gizmo's. The vertically-challenged tech expert suddenly began to understand why everybody kept telling him to shut up….

The worst part was that, just like his feuds with Cyborg, he was once again beaten by his own element…

In Steel City's maximum-security prison, there was a special cell made for one very-particular individual. Not because he was overly-powerful (at the moment, anyway) or extremely large. No, merely because he was almost-completely electronic. Brother Blood, always a deadly opponent when conscious due to his mind-control capabilities, was always kept on extremely-low power by way of various devices designed to keep him at bay while helping to power the prison building. He was never awake, but he wasn't dead and didn't need to eat or drink anymore. So it worked out.

At least, until somebody wanted him…

The thick vault-like door to Blood's cell was pulled open as the last guard fell unconscious at the hands of an iron-helmeted minion. The tall, somewhat-feminine being that opened the door looked upon the android that was to be a permanent fixture, her small hand-fan spreading open and then shut in passive fidgeting.

"Hmm… So, this is the one that thought he could rule with machines by becoming one. Ha! A pitiful imitation, especially when compared to the real thing. Still, he has useful functions…" the 'woman' mused to no one, the mindless minions having no attention to pay to anything other than their programming. "Take him!" she commanded, a flick of her fan in Blood's direction for effect before turning around to leave.

The small squad of mecha swarmed in, forcibly detaching cords and wires before dragging the super-criminal away.

Johnny Rancid always loved making bigger and better bikes and war machines. As such, he had always made sure to keep his ride at peak condition, no matter what. Nothing but the best, a tired phrase but still true. So, it would come to no surprise to anybody that knew him when he immediately felt that someone had, to quote, "messed with his shit" when his bike had bucked like a bronco and thrown him off right after boarding it to leave his garage. The vehicle revved up…even though nobody was currently sitting on it.

"What the hell's got my ride?! That's MY ride!" Rancid bellowed, expecting somebody to fess up immediately like the two-bit thug he is. He was not disappointed.

"Ride? Now why would this fine machine be a ride?" a very-feminine yet synthetic voice said from behind him. Rancid turned around quickly, wondering who had the brass to cross his turf. What he saw was… not what he expected. Johnny Rancid had built some fine pieces of mechanical engineering before, but what he was looking at was nothing short of a masterpiece.

"Whoa…! Who or what are you, beautiful?" Rancid asked, his anger quickly forgotten. The pink-and-white-clothed robo-woman giggled at this, although she found herself more amused by the meatbag's comical shift in temper rather than his flat compliment.

"Oh, I'm sure you'll find out soon enough. But for the time being, it seems you need to learn some respect." she giggled, raising her hand to draw his attention to the pink archery bow she held.

"Eh? Kinky thing, aren't you?" Rancid sneered. The cybernetic woman tilted her head slightly, not clearly understanding his phrasing. Kinky? What was that to a machine? "You have no idea". she chose as her reply before rapidly aiming, drawing back, and shooting.

The last thing Rancid saw before fading to black was a hell of a lot of pink…

Somewhere in Jump City, in some run-down, very lived-in apartment, there was a certain rotund individual known as a kind of laughingstock in the local criminal world. His living space was filled almost to the brim with various pop-culture knick-knacks and decorations, as well as a huge selection of DVDs, a big-screen TV, and a state-of-the-art PC (most likely, all stolen). On the bed lay the aforementioned individual, currently in a quivering mess.

"Oh man… I think I did it this time… How the hell did I even…? I wasn't even thinking of them when I programmed my remote! So much for my grand plan… Beat five heroes with five heroes… Yeah, if only I got the right people! Shiiit!" he berated himself. Being the impulsive guy that he was, it was only a few hours ago that he had been inside a movie store and came across a rare find. A classic season of a certain 'monster of the week'-style superhero team show from the 90's. Inspiration struck for his next scheme to defeat the Titans. So, he 'rented' (stole) the DVD and, in the privacy of a nearby abandoned warehouse, he aimed and fired…

His thoughts were suddenly brought back to the present with the sound of his door being kicked down. Sitting up, Control Freak looked at the now-doorless entrance and went pale. For there stood one of the beings he had wrought upon Jump City, sword drawn, regal demeanor ever-present.

"You! Filthy peasant who brought us here! Your reckoning is at hand!" said the noble villain, barging into the apartment toward the overweight nerd who was currently scrambling for the nearest window. It would've worked too…if his own weight hadn't rendered him stuck halfway out the window. The robot almost experienced pity for the first time. Never had it faced an opponent so ridiculous…

It was going to be a long day, putting up with transporting his hapless captive. But once he got him to the King, it wouldn't be his matter anymore.

"Weird…" Robin muttered. "Multiple alerts at the same time, in broad daylight. Including one Bumblebee just sent over from Steel City…" he said to the other gathered Titans as the big-screen display showed different textual data and visual images of the crimes-in-progress. "First off, Brother Blood seems to have been broken out of his cell. Instant problem right there if he gets his full power back… Security footage seems to show some odd perpetrators. Stranger enough is that they seem to match the description of perps involved in one of the other alerts. Probably a new gang. A weird one, though. What's with their headgear? And the jittery motions?" While the leader hypothesized, the team's resident prankster was looking closer at the blurry security footage of the strange intruders. Hadn't he seen them somewhere before? Like, a long time ago?

Cyborg looked grim, considering the thought of Brother Blood returning to full strength… "Yo, man, we should get crackin' on the Blood incident. He couldn't have gotten far."

"I know how you feel. Currently, Bee and the rest of Titans East are scouring Steel City for leads. Let's see… Other reports say that Gizmo of the Hive Five was seen being taken out by these jittery guys. Well, there's one less loudmouth."

"That still leaves this one here…" said Raven in her normal monotone, gently nudging Beast Boy.

"Awww, Rae! C'mon…" moaned the changeling. It wasn't too long ago that the two of them had gotten over their self-doubts and personality clashes and admitted their feelings for each other, but that never stops Raven from busting her boyfriend's chops now and then. Scratch that, she does that a lot more often than "now and then".

"Bicker later, you two. Hmm… Another incident says that a run-down mechanic garage suddenly blew up. Police intel had suspected it as the latest hideout of Johnny Rancid. And for some strange reason, Control Freak was spotted being stuck in a window of an apartment building. It'd be funny if the neighbors that called it in hadn't added that he looked very frightened."

"Probably saw himself in a mirror. Ha!" cracked Beast Boy.

"Good one, B!" Cyborg hollered. The two exchanged fist bumps. Raven still didn't approve of her beau's sense of humor, but she had to smirk at that one. Control Freak was always so easy to pick on.

"So… someone is doing the taking out of our adversaries?" Starfire asked, trying to keep things on-topic for the sake of the mission.

"It would seem so, for the moment. But that's no reason to kick back. For all we know, it could be some sort of message, a statement. Some people like to establish dominance by taking out the competition, after all." Robin explained, mostly to his alien girlfriend than to the others, of course. If it was one thing Robin loved doing, it was explaining stuff to Starfire.

The computer suddenly beeped, indicating a new alert. "Another one? Hmm… A disturbance at the old LexCorp building? News chopper's got a camera on the situation." When Robin brought up the news, the camera just showed the back end of the large abandoned building at first. Then, it zoomed in at a hidden-away back entrance where, apparently, a small group of the same weird vandals were scuttling about, as if excited about something. The helicopter had decided to lower a bit, bringing the camera even closer as the doors were suddenly pushed open and a dark figure came flying out, having been tossed out.

When the camera got a good view at the tossed-out individual, all five Titans thought the impossible had happened. It was Slade! Somebody had apparently made him look like he lost a brutal drunken bar fight, his helmet sporting a few cracks, the cloth parts of his attire ripped and torn in spots, the metal parts of it were dented up. It was the one thing that eluded Robin for the past couple of years and somebody had finally beaten him to it. A part of him should at least be thrilled that Slade might not terrorize people for a good long time, but the logical side of him wonders if the one who beat him is actually worse…

Beast Boy looked intently at the screen as the jittery minions scrabbled to grab the fallen archenemy and pick him up. He still thinks he's seen these kind of people before. If only he could place where… Were they on the news before as a threat from another city? Perhaps they were around a long time ago but 'laid low' for a time until everyone forgot about them? If only he could remember…

The camera focused on the door again as a wide figure emerged from it. Fat-looking, wearing what looks like some sort of blue royal garb, and with a crown on his head that appeared to be always slowly-rotating and a large turning gear attached to his back, the figure waddled out, insignia-tipped staff in hand. Something seemed completely fake about him… Perhaps it was the shiny-silver pudgy face. A moment passed and Beast Boy's eyes widened. Two and two were coming together… "No way, man… That's not right…" the changeling said quietly. Raven glanced at him, eyebrow raised. It was a look of concern, rather than the expected cynicism.

Other figures started to emerge, each seemingly less human than the last. Rather, they looked artificial… A tall woman with broad golden 'shoulders', a 'chest-plate', and a head that looks like it should be attached to a drill… A short being that looks like a chubby 5 year old boy with a crown of his own, topped with glowing crystal-shaped light bulbs… What looks like a young man with an old-school royal soldier's attire… And something that looks like an attractive young woman with an attention-grabbing pink-and-white outfit. The four other figures also carried hostages, all familiar to the Titans when the news camera got a good view of them.

"Alright, where's Control Freak at?" Beast Boy suddenly asked. The others looked at him. "What?" Robin replied dully. Why would Beast Boy ask that of all things?

"I know those guys. They don't exist!" Beast Boy said, getting a little frantic. If THEY were HERE, who knows what damage they could do…

"Well, they're right there, B." Cyborg stated, wondering what his 'little brother' was going on about. The changeling shook his head. "Yeah, I know. But they shouldn't be! Unless somebody's pulling some weird cosplay setup… which, in today's world, wouldn't surprise me."

"Care to explain?" Raven asked, clearly appearing to wonder about Beast Boy's sanity about now.

"Alright. Anybody ever see Power Rangers?" he asked. Only Cyborg raised his hand, as Beast Boy probably expected.

Robin suddenly got it. Control Freak? A TV show? "Huh… Well, we at least know the source of this… So, what are we dealing with here?" It felt weird for Robin to ask Beast Boy for knowledge, but having faith in the shapeshifter worked the last time Control Freak brought TV to reality.

"Some real classic assholes… Big trouble. On paper, booked as a nearly unstoppable force until they came across the Power Rangers. Mostly because they're tireless machines. Kinda like if Cyborg didn't need to charge, just ran on… oh, I dunno, meat and constantly saying 'Booyah!'… ("Hey!") Anyways, we're going to have issues here. Meet… The Machine Empire…"

King Mondo was elated. Despite him and his mechanical relations being suddenly pulled off of their floating space base to the planet of the meatbags called Earth, his immediate plan of establishing a new headquarters progressed with great success. Who knew there was a mad-human who had a similar penchant for machine-friendly habitats? It reminded him so much of his domicile. He had to thank the slovenly one who teleported them here for that much before killing him. Especially since, by some strange coincidence, this Earth seemed to be void of Power Rangers of any sort. A defenseless planet full of resources for the pillaging, finally! And some of those resources seemed to be falling right into his hands just from the local area alone.

This 'Slade' human, for instance. His brand of machines proved to be worthy fighters to add to Mondo's arsenal of Cog minions. And the King was not about to forget his Queen Machina's find, a human who actually WANTED to become a machine and had the power to control others, human or otherwise. Useful indeed! But Mondo still found this 'Brother Blood' to be an insult to machine-kind, a mere jester posing as a king.

Prince Sprocket, Prince Gasket, and Archerina had also reported back, each bringing back other beings with a claim of mastery of machines. Mondo was sadistically thrilled to see that Gasket's hostage was the same lowlife that had so disrupted their primary functions in the first place. This blobby bag of bones would be fine entertainment for the Cogs to pummel on for a while.

"Ah, such progress in such a short time. It just goes to show that we of the Machine Empire can adapt to almost any situation that befalls us. We have a lovely new castle, a bushel of resources, and a foothold on this grungy rock of a planet, albeit a small one… If only this fat bottom-feeder…" he pointed his staff at Control Freak. "…had been able to bring over our generals, we would be able to launch a full-scale assault on this planet, post-haste. But alas, a minor detail." He finished, waving his hand as if swatting at a fly.

"Hey, Dad! What's that up there?" chirped little Prince Sprocket, hobbling about with childlike energy as he pointed up at the sky. Mondo looked up. The royal machine noticed the small news helicopter. Zooming his optical lenses in, he was able to notice the camera. "Hmm… It appears that some members of the human race have detected our presence. If I remember human behaviors well from the previous Earth, this information will soon be broadcasted across this city on something they refer to as 'the local news'. It shouldn't pose any real danger to us. In fact, a visit from royalty should be well known!" Mondo explained with an arrogant chuckle.

"But what if humans fight back? I dare say that one Earth may be like another, with its own form of defense." asked Prince Gasket, his programming content with holding his sword to the neck of the miserable clown of a human. Sure, that filthy-looking human was easy enough for his wife, Archerina, to take down. But surely, this planet doesn't have anything like the Power Rangers… Does it? 

"Then we will do what we're always programmed to do. Destroy them with an iron hand!" the King commanded.

**Author's Note: **Well, there's my experiment. Not sure if it's a good idea or not, but I thought it'd be worthy to try typing up a beginning to it and posting it up. But yes, Teen Titans crossing over with the old-school Power Rangers Zeo season. The idea came to me after surfing random YouTube vids and rediscovering Zeo, more specifically Zeo's villains, the Machine Empire. Then a thought hits me about the Titans. "Look at the Titans' band of villains. A good chunk of them rely heavily on machines and technology. So what if machines kicked their asses and took over?" Thus, my fic experiment.

As this is an experimental idea that had come to me out of the blue, I had written most of this last night on the fly. I know there's parts of it that could've been elaborated on or done better. So, I guess I pulled this one outta my ass? Lol. Anyways… So far, three options come to mind.

I could try to make this into a full-blown story if enough people like it.

If somebody's interested in adopting this story and continuing it, that'd be fine.

Or this could just be an open-ended one-off plot.

Review please!


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